Seats of various vehicles such as skid steer loaders or logging machines are subject to substantial vibration as the vehicles travel over rough road and off road surfaces. A majority of seats now made for operators of such vehicles include a vibration compensating suspension mechanism beneath the seat. Such suspension mechanisms are in addition to the vehicle suspension systems which interpose the wheels of the vehicle and the vehicle bodies.
One type of suspension mechanism is the knee action suspension mechanism of the general type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,149. An improved type of knee action suspension mechanism is the floating knee pivot suspension mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,930.
This suspension mechanism takes its name from a pivoting of the seat about the front of the seat during vibration. The pivoting is in the area of the knee of the seat occupant. Such pivoting is desirable because it minimizes movement of the lower leg during vibration. The knee of the seat occupant flexes as the seat pivots, maintaining foot contact with vehicle controls. The seat also improves the quality of the ride of the occupant by eliminating the tendency of the upper body of the occupant to strike the back of the seat during rebound from vibration.
Vehicles such as skid steer loaders or logging machines are also often operated through the use of hand controls, such as joy stick, or control levers. Such controls are commonly mounted on a separate suspension from the operating seats in the vehicle.
In such operating configurations, when vibration occurs, it is often difficult for the operator to maintain adequate hand contact with the hand controls for operation of the vehicle. Additionally, extra space is taken up by mounting the hand control and seat separately.